This module has a rich international flavour as it is focused on looking at the cinema and theological and religious traditions from a range of cultural contexts. Many of the films examined in this module originate from the United States of America, and a significant number of the theorists whose work is studied are American-based. For the first assignment students can focus on a film or theorist of their choice from any global or international background, and in the main essay students are afforded the opportunity to examine in depth questions relating to the relationship between religion and the secular, including models of secularisation, which differ according to whether the focus is on the application of religion and film scholarship in Western Europe or North America. The module commonly attracts students from a range of backgrounds, including from America, and students are afforded the opportunity in seminar discussions to discuss the relationship between the international and global debates around religion and the secular that the module raises and their own national and international backgrounds and identities.
Total Contact Hours: 40
Private Study Hours: 260
Total Study Hours: 300
Main assessment methods
RSST5740:
Essay (4,000 words) – 60%
Film Interpretation (2,000 words) – 30%
Presentation (15 minutes) – 10%
Reassessment methods
Reassessment Instrument: 100% Coursework
The University is committed to ensuring that core reading materials are in accessible electronic format in line with the Kent Inclusive Practices.
The most up to date reading list for each module can be found on the university's reading list pages: https://kent.rl.talis.com/index.html
See the library reading list for this module (Canterbury)
The intended subject specific learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module Level 6 students will be able to:
1 Outline and engage with to a critical extent the approaches that have been used by various scholars in their attempts to bring together the worlds of film and religion/theology. Students will be expected to show to a sophisticated degree which ones they consider to be most helpful and academically sustainable, and why;
2 Demonstrate refined intellectual skills by exploring critical links between theology/religious studies and the medium of film, including the evaluation and appropriation of film criticism;
3 Recognise to a sophisticated degree the extent to which theological and religious models and criticism may be applied to the medium of film;
4 Investigate particular aspects of religion and film in critical depth.
The intended generic learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module Level 6 students will be able to:
1 Demonstrate an ability to engage in critical independent research;
2 Present and structure theological and religious arguments carefully and persuasively to professional standards in both written and oral form;
3 Show a critical ability to identify and enter into a conversation with alternative perspectives that pertain to discourse in religion/theology and film and to be able to enter into critical dialogue with contrary arguments and perspectives;
4 Use electronic media to identify and collate appropriate academic resources from the library material, including the location of suitable film reviews and criticism, online journals, and other reliable electronic sources, and reference this material effectively;
5 Deploy a range of IT skills effectively, such as word-processing text with footnotes, basic formatting, searching databases and text files;
6 Demonstrate a capacity to take responsibility for their own personal and professional learning and development.
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